If You Go Down To The Woods Today
by TwistedAlice
Summary: Kestrel has made a bet with Carver... its gone wrong! She calls in Dante and Vergil to help her get out of the situation... Just what have they gotten into? Based on a semi true story!
1. Chapter 1

AN: Well here we are, another story... How are you all? Are you all still with me? LOL

Anyway... This story is a little different, as in this one is mixed with Fact, Fiction, Crack and a whole lot of fun.

This is based on LARP between myself, Vrejusnor, BlackIriss and Carver (Both Vrejusnor and BlackIriss have DeviantArt accounts... go look them up!) which took place over a couple of crazy nights in the woods of Kilder Forest (big woods up in the north of England). We all stayed in The Cabin for a week and we had a laugh.

Only the 4 of us know which parts of this is based on fact... scary thing is, there's quite alot.

Oh... LARP Live Action Role Play... which means we all dressed up in our outfits and stayed in character for the week.

Dante Vrejusnor  
Vergil TwistedAlice  
Kestrel BlackIriss  
Caver well... Carver... they don't have a DA account

Tia BlackIriss's OC - Kes didn't actually play her but she features heavily in the story for the LARP so she features heavily in this  
(Well she did for one day when we went to the Metro Centre for lunch - was quite funny walking into the pub in costume haahaa)

As always, I'm not putting disclaimers and crap at the top of the rest of the chapters. I will warn you now there will be language, fighting, sex (most likely man sex!), gore... if you don't want to read it don't... flamers will just get ignored

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Dante put his foot down and smiled as the engine roared. He stole a sideways glance at his twin who was sitting in the passenger seat with the window wound right down allowing the fresh country breeze into the car. Vergil seemed to be in deep concentration and was frowning out of the window. The wind was whipping at his hair, softening the style slightly. Dante smirked, woe betide Vergil to have less than perfect hair!

Vergil sighed and tried to relax into the passenger seat more. He was restless, they had been driving for what felt like days but in reality it was only a few hours, he shuffled again and looked at the fuel gauge, they were running low and would need to fill up again soon. He spied a petrol station in the distance over the next ridge and pointed it out to Dante.

"Huh?" Dante looked down at the gauge. Yes, he needed to get some fuel, but hopefully their destination wasn't going to be too far away.

"We do need to get back again, Dante" Vergil rubbed at the top of his nose in irritation. Filling up now would just save having to stop on the way back.

Dante shrugged and pulled into the station. If you could call it that. It was more of a shack with a pump. Vergil got out to stretch his legs and muttered something about getting creases in his coat while Dante filled up the little car. He patted the car lovingly as Vergil turned to the door of the shop to pay for the fuel.

"Pump, erm…" Vergil looked out on to the concourse. There was only the one pump. "Just the petrol please." He dug into his wallet and fished out some notes to hand to the man behind the counter.

"Sss'll be £30" The old man held out a grubby hand for the money. Vergil tried not to grimace as the fingers curled round his hand. He could almost feel the grime creeping onto his skin. The man fished about in the cash register and gave him an equally mouldy looking £10 for change.

"Thanks…" Vergil took it and shook it before putting it back into his wallet. Great, now the rest of his money would be tarnished with country scum.

Vergil's heels clicked on the concrete of the concourse as he strode back to the car. He felt a long way from home. He was used to his plush house back home and his even plusher mansion in the Underworld. He sidestepped a puddle of spilled petrol and got back in the car.

"Thanks Bro!" Dante grinned at him from behind the wheel. Vergil blinked.

"For what?" He carefully tucked his coat into the car before slamming the door, with slightly more force than he needed. The little car rocked slightly.

"For feeding the Bummin!" Dante patted the dashboard of his car and started the engine.

Vergil hadn't even thought about it, he had just gone to pay for it. He shook his head in amusement. Ever the older brother he thought to himself as Dante floored the car and shot off down the winding country road.

Dante cranked up the stereo and started to sing along to the music blasting out of it.

"Mama, we're all gona hell…!" He tapped the beat on his steering wheel and dipped his head in time to the music.

Vergil couldn't help but tap along on the window ledge; it was a rather catchy tune.

The stereo skipped the track and started to crackle. Vergil frowned and pressed next track. The next track kept skipping as well. He ejected the CD and checked it over, no scratches, which was unusual for one of Dante's CDs. He pushed it back in and restarted the track. It jumped and skipped again.

"Oh come on… "Dante thumped at the stereo in frustration. The skipping continued but rather than static between the jumps a high pitched squeal was coming through the speakers. Dante hit the stereo again and the music stopped.

"Great!" He rolled his eyes in frustration. A low squeal was coming from the speakers still. It was steadily getting more recognisable.

"What…" Vergil turned up the volume. "Why is your car making baby devil noises?" He looked at Dante. Dante was gaping at the stereo in surprise and his foot had come off the accelerator. The car was slowly coming to a stop at the side of the road.

"I don't know…" Dante looked back at his twin in confusion. "It sounds like Tia don't it?"

"Yes" Vergil nodded and squeezed his eyes shut trying to think. It certainly sounded like Tia when she was in child form and panicking or in need of help. It couldn't be though. Tia was safe and sound back at the Confessors castle.

Wasn't she?


	2. Chapter 2

Dante drove in silence. He had turned off the stereo. The noises it was making creeped him out, but he didn't want Vergil to think him a wuss. He had said the noise was grating him and Vergil had agreed to turn it off as it was annoying him as well.

Dante was secretly worried. The sound was too familiar. It was just like Tia, right down to the tiny little hiccups she made between breaths. Vergil had clouted him and told him to get a grip. They had both seen Tia only a couple of days ago, running around the Confessors Hall in child form generally getting under everyone's feet.

Still, something was bugging him about the sound. And he had a feeling that there was more than he knew towards this trip.

Vergil fumbled in the glove box and fished out a few mint imperials. The noise from the stereo had left a metallic taste in his mouth, much like the taste he would get when his fangs elongated. As much as he wanted to believe it wasn't Tia making those sounds everything felt wrong about it, something was telling him that it was her. He just didn't want to believe it.

He tossed a mint at Dante who flicked out his tongue and caught it, then crunched it happily. Vergil could tell his twin was fretting just as much as he was, although Vergil was able to mask his worries better.

Dante's mobile trilled and made them both jump.

"Fffffff…" Dante fumbled in his side pocket and tossed it to Vergil. Although they were on winding country roads Dante didn't like to answer his phone when driving.

"Speak" Vergil answered the phone with a clipped professional voice. Dante couldn't help but smile. He always found it amusing to hear Vergil talking on the phone.

Vergil frowned. "What's that got to do with anything?" The caller's voice was shrill and high pitched. Dante guessed it was a woman. He didn't even think to look at his phone before tossing it at Vergil. He glanced sideways at him and realised that the window was still wide open. If Vergil hadn't been ready to catch the phone it could have easily have flown out the window.

"I thought we were going for a game…" Vergil's voice trailed off. He was getting annoyed at the caller; Dante could hear the strain in his voice. "No, you told us it was for your debt." The caller sounded agitated and started to shout. Vergil held the phone away from his ear and glared at it. He waited for the caller to become silent before bringing it back to his ear. "Debt you said." The caller started frantically trying to explain something before Vergil cut them off. "I have no idea what you are talking about and we will discuss this further when we get there, Good Day." Vergil snapped the phone shut and growled.

"Who was that?" Dante looked at him in surprise before turning down a rough track cut into the hill side.

Vergil held onto the side of the door and took in the new surroundings of the forest that was looming ahead of them.

"Kestrel…" Vergil snarled her name. Dante flinched. He could hear the malice in his twin's voice.

"What's she want?" Dante questioned slowing down to go through a rather large muddy patch.

"Tia…" Vergil rolled up his window to avoid being splashed. "Has gone missing…" Vergil sighed and flicked a stray bit of mud from his glove. "Someone thought they would play the game, and play it rough."

Dante was confused. "The game?" He rounded the corner and came out into a small clearing in the middle of the forest. He parked next to a small fence like structure and killed the engine. "What game?"

"Cards, Dante…"

Dante's eyes grew wide. "Wait, I'm not following this… or if I am, I'm not liking it."

Vergil popped another sweet into his mouth before offering Dante the packet. "You got it right. Kestrel thought she had a winning hand, so in her drunken state she's bet her own daughters soul stone. She lost. Now Tia is missing because the player has been played at his own game."

Dante crunched his mint. "Carver… lost?"

"Well, not technically lost, more was stolen. Kestrel asked us to come play didn't she? Well she wanted to win Tia back, although Carver's just rang her to let her know his house got broken into and the stone is gone. And along with it Tia."

Dante whistled low and leant on the steering wheel. "Who would do something like that though? Its not like people don't know who Tia is, why steal her?"

Vergil rubbed his temples. "I don't know do I? All I know is Kestrel is down there…" He pointed down a narrow path from the clearing. "And she's frantic."

Vergil's phone sang and he held it up to see who was calling him.

"Who's that?" Dante craned his neck to see.

"Carver…" Vergil flipped the phone open. "Yes?" Carver's voice sounded tinny and hollow through the phone. Dante wasn't able to make out much of what he was saying. Vergil was nodding and acknowledging what Carver was saying. Carver sounded much calmer than Kestrel at least.

"Ok, I'll pass that on." Vergil closed his phone without saying goodbye. "Carver is turning over the house once more; he said the wager was just as a joke, between old friends apparently." Vergil laughed grimly. "Friends eh? Well, he only took Tia to his for the one night, and in that one night the place gets ransacked, his car has been stolen and Diesel is missing."

Dante stared into the forest. "Diesel is missing? But, she's a wolf; she wouldn't go without a fight."

"Wolfsbane… he found darts in the kitchen from what looked to be a sniper rifle. She was obviously in the house at the same time." Vergil flicked the door open with a grunt.

Dante stepped out of his side and slammed the door with a growl. "What is it with the Goldleafs?!" He exclaimed. Someone somewhere always had it in for that damned family. It was bad enough having to guard his own back. Having Sparda's blood flowing through your veins made you a prime target for hostile forces as well.

Although, Dante thought to himself, having Vergil on his side was a bonus. If anyone tangled with Dante they would normally find them selves not only on the business end of Rebellion but also shot full of ice swords and sliced into with paper thin cuts from Yamato.

Vergil stepped out of the car and skirted round a rather large puddle of mud. He wrinkled his nose. Mud, great, he hoped the place they were staying had a sink so he could wash his coat.

Dante shouldered Rebellion and spun his guns into their holsters. "Lets Rock?" He walked to the start of the path out of the clearing.

"Yes, lets… "Vergil retrieved Yamato and waited for Dante to blip the car locked before he joined his twin at the path. "I'm assuming its down here?"

Dante grimaced and looked at the ground. "Yeah, if I knew the exact location I'd ask you to teleport us down there, but…"

"Trees Dante…" Vergil motioned around them. "As good as I am, I tend to need to know there is a big enough gap to teleport to, unless you fancy ending up with tree branches infused to your body?"

Dante shook his head. He remembered only too well how painful that was. Fair enough Vergil could teleport them away from the obstacles that they may have encountered in teleportation, but last time his twin had misjudged and teleported them to somewhere he had not been before they ended up impaled on a barbed wire fence. It had taken days for the pain to go away and the marks to fade.

Vergil pushed past him and started off down the path. "I found myself within a forest dark, for the straightforward pathway had been lost…"

Dante blinked. Vergil would randomly come out with little phrases that he would recognise, but was unable to put his finger on.

Vergil turned and smirked at him. "Come little brother, you know where that one is from…"

Dante smirked as he remember another quote. "And are you then that Virgil, you the fountain, that freely pours so rich a stream of speech?"

Vergil inclined his head in a small bow. "Then he set out, and I moved on behind him…" Vergil turned on his heel and strode into the forest.


	3. Chapter 3

Carver was sitting in his office. The room was a mess. Papers and books strewn across the room. As far as he could tell nothing had been stolen, which was in one way good. He had a lot of dirty secrets in these cabinets, the most dangerous ones in a special protected cabinet that only he was able to open. That cabinet stood still, but it was dented and battle marked. Claw marks and gun shot wounds where all over it as though someone had been frantic to get in there.

The office phone rang. It was his one of his henchmen. He hit the speaker button.

"Yes?"

"Sir!" The caller addressed Carver before continuing. "We have carried out a full scale sweep of the grounds and we have found no trace of anything. We have however found that the kitchen was the main place that the attack happened and we are doing everything to locate the missing persons."

Carver sighed. He doubted that Tia and Diesel would just be holed up somewhere on his estate hiding. But it had been worth a shot. "Very well… Expand the perimeter and bring one of my other cars round the front"

"Sir Yes, Sir!" The guard started barking orders before Carver had even pressed the disconnect button.

It had all been for a laugh. Kestrel had been wasted and it was just a fun bet. Tia found it amusing, it meant she would be able to camp out at Carver's for the night if his cards had won.

He just so happened to have a straight flush, which was much better than a full house. Kestrel had been defeated, but she found it quite amusing at the time. She was in rather a lot of debt with him though, and this meeting up was meant to start getting some of her money back. He had a feeling that it was going to take a lot more.

Kestrel would be furious with him for letting Tia get kidnapped. But then how was he to know anything would have been able to get past his guards. Plus Diesel is a strong woman, he would have expected Tia to be quite safe with her.

The phone rang again. This time it was Kestrel herself. Carver didn't really want to talk to her, it was bad enough explaining to her what had happened, and she was steaming mad and frantic.

He flicked on the loudspeaker. "Kestrel"

"You realise you answer the phone just like Vergil?" Kestrel sounded amused. Maybe she was calming down now she knew he had everyone in his mob out looking for them.

"Well, that's interesting… not. Is there something you need Kestrel? I'm quite busy you realise"

"Yes, yes" Kestrel cut him off. No one cuts him off, but he thought that he would make an exception this time, considering the situation.

"Vergil and Dante are on their way, I've let them know what's going on. Vergil didn't sound too pleased with me though…" Kestrel trailed away.

"I noticed nothing different." Carver paused thinking of his recent phone call with Vergil. "But then he didn't really say anything, I just explained what had happened and told him I'd see them soon."

"Have you heard anything?" Kestrel was trying not to sound worried, Carver could tell. She was failing as her voice had an unnatural sing-song gait to it.

"Not yet. I have everyone looking out for them and I will have a full report on the situation before I leave here" Carver looked up. One of his top men and just slinked into the office holding a large brown envelope.

Carver beckoned him over and waved him away before pulling the contents out. There were photos of all the areas of interest. From the glass that had been broken on the floor in the kitchen to a scrap of Tia's cat fluff caught in the door frame in the hallway.

"Are you going to be long?" Kestrel questioned him.

"I have everything that I can get from here." He looked out the window, his car had just pulled up and the driver was waiting next to the driver door. "My car is here, I will be there in a few hours."

"Ok" Kestrel's voice sounded hollow and tiny.

"We'll find her ok?" Carver actually felt slightly guilty, not a trait that he thought that he was really that capable of.

"Uh, huh" Kestrel sniffed. She must have been crying. She most likely still was. Carver said his goodbye and hung up the phone.

He gazed over the array of papers and photo's over his desk, most of it in hand written notes, observations of the crime scene, theories and speculations. One note that did stand out which was written in red marker pen on a post it note. It was stuck to a black and white photo. The photo showed a few bullet casings, they had some sort of symbols on them that Carver didn't recognise. The post it note red "DEMON BLACK OPS?".

Carver frowned. Why would they want Tia? They only got involved in the most elite of elite cases. They were the crème de la crème of the demon forces, the only people that were high enough to order them about where Demon Lords of the Underworld.

Another note said "Vergil?". This one was on a photo of some precise sword cuts, they were directly on the lock of the cabinet. Only demon steel would be able to dent that, and these cuts were within millimetres of each other and they cut rather deep.

Carver shook his head. It couldn't have been Vergil. He may be a Hell Lord, but he wouldn't need to do this, he could just walk up to Tia and pick her up and take her away. After all, he was sort of her Uncle.

Carver gathered up all the documents and went down to the car. He thanked his driver and told him he would drive. The driver bowed and said he hoped everything would be ok. Carver tossed the envelope on the seat next to him and started off for the meeting place.


	4. Chapter 4

Kestrel paced round the small cabin. She hoped everyone would get there soon. She was quite aware that she had sounded more than a little panicked on the phone to Vergil. She hadn't been expecting him to answer it if the truth is told, but then if Dante had been driving it was only natural for him to pick up.

Her blood ran cold as she thought of how stupid she had been. It seemed like a good idea at the time. And she knew she shouldn't be blaming herself for it, but she couldn't help it. Tia was her daughter, her youngest.

She wanted to blame Carver. She wanted to vent all her rage on him. How dare he get her child kidnapped? Why had he not been there last night? What had been so important that it went above her own daughter's safety?

A noise made her start and run to the window. It was only a pheasant. There were many of them in the forest, and they were all free for the taking. She could just imagine Dante shooting one for dinner. She hoped that he didn't. She wasn't too sure how to prepare it. But then again, Vergil would know. With all his experience in slicing and dicing, he would surely know how to do it.

She sniggered as she pictured Dante running around after one of the birds trying to catch it while it was alive. She pictured herself laughing at the picnic table out the front and Vergil frowning in frustration while Dante made strange bird noises.

She almost laughed out loud before she thought that Tia would find it highly amusing and would most likely have been sitting on the table and would be laughing so hard she would almost fall off.

Kestrel clutched at her necklace and pressed her head against the cool glass. Her breath was ragged and it misted up the window. She closed her eyes and sighed. She just wanted her daughter back.

She wandered into the kitchen and put the kettle on. She pulled 4 cups out of the cupboard and put a tea bag in each, a few spoons of sugar in her own and a few in the fourth one. She waited for the kettle to boil while absently mindedly filling up the sugar bowl. She picked a few cushions up from the sofa and fluffed them up a bit.

Dante and Vergil always sat on that one, she knew they would have had a long journey and would want to have a bit of a rest. Its not like they would be able to do anything until Carver was here with the most up to date information.

She flicked on the TV and channel hopped for a few minutes before getting back up to check on the kettle. She hadn't plugged the thing in. She muttered to herself and dug around in the back cupboard looking for the power lead.

By the time she had found it, she had to pull out the iron, the ironing board and the Hoover, she was covered in grime.

She put the plug on the side and glanced at the clock. She figured she'd have time to get cleaned up. A quick dip might do her good. She grabbed a towel and the keys and headed for the nearby waterfall.

It was one of her favourite places to go in the forest. The water was crisp and clean, and it was sheltered from passers by, not that many people ventured into the forest. There was all manner of strange creatures in the forest. Most humans knew better than to wander in too far.

She stripped off and hopped in. The water was cold and took her breath away for a moment, but after a few minutes of bobbing about she found it quite pleasant.

She quickly washed off and climbed back out. She sat on the bank for a few minutes, her teeth chattering from the sudden change in temperature. It wasn't cold out of the water, but the woods were dark and it gave the air a slight chill.

She dusted off her dress and put it back on. The fabric was rough against her cool skin as she shuffled into her overdress. She tied up the lacing and picked up her towel. It was only then she realised she had gone out without any form of weapon. She glanced around the forest suddenly feeling vulnerable and started back off for the cabin.

She looked over her shoulder as she fumbled with the keys. She swore that something was watching her. She quickly got into the cabin and leant with her back against the door, listening for any signs of movement.

When she heard nothing she looked out of the spy hole. Nothing was out there. She glanced out of the large window at the front of the cabin, realising that whatever had been out there may have been looking in at her from there.

She quickly peeked out of the window and stifled a scream. There was feathers and blood everywhere over the grass in front of the cabin. The body of the dead pheasant was hanging from his neck off the bird feeder. Its intestines were trailing on the floor and its eyes were wide and staring.

She looked down at the window, there was blood smeared on the bottom. She thought it might be words, but she couldn't make them out from where she was standing. Kestrel backed to the other wall and stared. She choked back a sob and slid to the floor with her back against the wall.

"Save me Mummy…"


	5. Chapter 5

The woods were dark and the trees were close. Dante sauntered along at an unhurried gait while Vergil was a few steps in front trying to decipher where the trail was going. It seemed to be taking them down a strange path that wound round and back on itself. Or so Vergil thought.

They reached a small clearing and Dante rested Rebellion on the ground. He leant on it with one arm and watched his twin. Vergil was looking about on the ground. He seemed to be at a loss for something. Vergil turned and looked up at the sun, then gazed over at the right of the clearing. He stroked his chin before walking up to a tree and examining it.

"What you looking for?" Dante craned his neck to see over his shoulder.

"I hate to say this Dante, but I think we may have taken a wrong turn somewhere." Vergil looked back the way they came.

"You took us the wrong way?" Dante was shocked. That was very unlike Vergil.

"Kestrel said follow the trail and it will take us there." Vergil said irritably at his brother. "I followed, and its brought us here." He pointed the faint trail out. "That's where it comes in." Vergil turned in a half circle and shrugged. "I can't find where it goes back out again though. It seems to just stop."

"You can't be looking properly then" Dante fought back the urge to laugh as he watched Vergil's eye twitch.

"Come on." Vergil strode back out and back along the path. Dante shouldered his sword again and followed him.

After a shot time they came to a sort of cross road. Dante pointed out maybe they should go the other way rather than back the way they came, after all, it would lead them somewhere eventually. Vergil agreed and strode down the path.

The trees were becoming taller and the forest darker. Vergil was sure that he could hear water somewhere in the distance and he recalled there was a waterfall not too far from the cabin.

"How about we head for the sound of water?" He stopped and turned. Dante almost walked into him.

"Bro!" Dante glared at him. "You need stop lights." Vergil just looked at him blankly. "Oh yeah, water? Good idea!" Dante realised that he had ignored the question and hurriedly recovered before Vergil had the chance to snap at him.

Vergil took a right turn and used his demon senses to listen to the sound of water and let it guide them. Dante whistled low under his breath and hummed a tune, he wasn't in the slight bit concerned they had no idea where they were. He knew they would get there eventually.

"Wonder if she's got the tea on?" Dante mused to himself. Vergil grunted in response still concentrating. The sound of water was still very faint and he was having trouble keeping a lock on where it was coming from.

A noise in the forest made them both stop in their tracks. Vergil's hand went to Yamato and Dante's rested on his gun in his holster.

"Did you…?" Dante was cut off by Vergil's hand signal. He pointed at his eyes and then into the forest, an unmistakable sign to say shut it and look over there.

Dante peered into the forest. Either his eyes were not accustomed to the dark properly yet, and he had pretty damned good night vision, or the forest really was that dark. All he could see was shadows

He gestured to Vergil. He couldn't see anything. He opened his mouth to protest and the noise was made again. His jaw dropped in surprise. He thought that he had imagined the noise. He shuffled forwards and peered into the gap in the trees that Vergil had pointed out to him.

Shadows filled the forest and there was no way to see through them. Vergil frowned. He could make out shapes in the shadows and he could have sworn he saw a pair of eyes. His hand clasped Yamato and he braced himself for attack.

The shadows swarmed out of the trees and spun around the twins. Dante yelled in surprise and started shooting his guns into them peppering the shadows with holes. Vergil stood still and waited for the right moment to strike.

There were hundreds and hundreds of shadows. They all were long and black, they all had glowing eyes, some of them white, the others yellow, all of them with long sharp claws they were raking through the air and trying to hook onto the brothers coats.

Vergil spun round and swiped with a long fast stroke. He watched as a large chunk of the shadows broke apart and drifted off into nothingness. Spinning again he took another swipe at a large shadow that was close to Dante's shoulder.

Dante eyed his brother and watched as Yamato whisked past him within millimetres. He raised his eyebrow at Vergil who just smirked and nodded at the large cloud of black that was vaporising in front of his eyes.

"Thanks" Dante muttered as he watched it disappear. He put his guns away and swung Rebellion in a low arch, cutting into the shadows low as Vergil went high again. As he moved round in a half circle towards his twin Vergil did the opposite but jumped slightly at the same time, his boots inches away from Dante's low swipe with Dante's head almost a hairs breath below his high attack.

The shadows seemed to scream and quiver as the brothers hacked into them with perfect precision. They yelled and tried to latch on to each of the brothers in turn, but none of them got the chance. Vergil sliced them cleanly in two before they were anywhere near Dante's coat and Dante hacked them to bits before they were near Vergil.

Eventually after what seemed like hours, but was really closer to just a few minutes the shadow creatures had given up the fight and had all but disintegrated into nothingness.

One larger one remained however. Dante moved forwards to charge at it but his foot tangled on a root and his aim was off. The well placed swipe at the creature was misaimed and he stabbed into a tree instead. Vergil turned at the sound and jumped over his twin to block the attack from the creature while Dante struggled to pull Rebellion out of the tree trunk.

Vergil gritted his teeth. This shadow had not split in two when he had slashed at it with Yamato, this one had more substance than the rest. He pushed away with his sword and the creature stumbled, falling backwards to the floor. He shot forward ready to pierce it where he figured its heart would be.

The creature screamed and quivered on the floor. The scream made him pause in mid strike.

"KILL IT!" Dante had managed to retrieve Rebellion and was shocked at his brother's hesitation. It was not like Vergil to pause at the final blow.

The creature made a soft whimpering sound and some of the black faded from its chest revealing a red stone on a chain and a purple top. Vergil gasped. He bent down to examine the stone more. The creature shied away from him and screamed again. It started to convulse and the stone was recovered in shadows again. The eyes blazed white before the creature imploded on itself.

Vergil shielded his eyes. The sharp white light from its eyes was almost blinding in the darkness of the forest.

Dante came up behind him and stared at the floor. "Bro…?" He pointed with Ebony at the floor. Vergil rubbed his eyes and glanced at Dante before looking at the floor where he was pointing.

Half buried by mud, a small red stone on a silver chain glinted delicately.


End file.
